Forrester Church
Encyclopedia
Frank Forrester Church IV (born September 23, 1948 in Palo Alto
, California
, died September 24, 2009) was a leading Unitarian Universalist
minister, author, and theologian. He was Senior Minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls
in New York City
, until late 2006 when he was appointed as Minister of Public Theology.
Frank Church
, was a student at Stanford Law School
. He was raised in Boise
, Idaho
, after his father's graduation.
Church was a graduate of Stanford University
and Harvard Divinity School
. He received a Ph.D.
in early church history from Harvard University
in 1978.
On February 4, 2008, Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation informing them that he had terminal cancer. He told them of his intention, which he successfully realized, to sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been pervasive in his work in a final book, entitled Love & Death.
Forrest Church died of esophageal cancer
in New York City on September 24, 2009.
. Between 1985 and his death, he wrote or edited more than 20 books. These include technical studies of Christian
and Gnostic
literature, as well as over a dozen books addressing a wider audience.
Books authored by Church include:
Books edited by Church:
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, died September 24, 2009) was a leading Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
minister, author, and theologian. He was Senior Minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls
Unitarian Church of All Souls
The Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City was the first Unitarian Universalist church in New York City. It is one of the largest and most influential congregations in the United States...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, until late 2006 when he was appointed as Minister of Public Theology.
Biography
Church was born in Palo Alto while his father, the future United States SenatorUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Frank Church
Frank Church
Frank Forrester Church III was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Idaho from 1957 to 1981....
, was a student at Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...
. He was raised in Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, after his father's graduation.
Church was a graduate of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
. He received a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in early church history from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1978.
On February 4, 2008, Church sent a letter to the members of his congregation informing them that he had terminal cancer. He told them of his intention, which he successfully realized, to sum up his thoughts on the topics that had been pervasive in his work in a final book, entitled Love & Death.
Forrest Church died of esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
in New York City on September 24, 2009.
Writings
Church is best known as a leader of liberal religionLiberal religion
Liberal religion is a religious tradition which embraces the theological diversity of a congregation rather than a single creed, authority, or writing...
. Between 1985 and his death, he wrote or edited more than 20 books. These include technical studies of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Gnostic
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
literature, as well as over a dozen books addressing a wider audience.
Books authored by Church include:
- Father and Son: A Personal Biography of Senator Frank Church of Idaho
- The trilogy A Humane Comedy: The Devil and Dr. Church, Entertaining Angels, and The Seven Deadly Virtues
- Early Christian Prayer
- Early Christian Hymns
- The Essential Tillich
- God and Other Famous Liberals: Recapturing Bible, Flag, and Family from the Far Right, Walker & Company, 1996 (ISBN 978-0802774835)
- A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, with John A. BuehrensJohn A. BuehrensRev. John A. Buehrens is a Unitarian Universalist minister and author, and served as the sixth president of the Unitarian Universalist Association from 1993 to 2001. Rev. Buehrens currently serves as minister of First Parish in Needham, Massachusetts. Ordained in 1973, he served congregations in...
, Beacon PressBeacon PressBeacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
, 1998 (ISBN 0807016160) - "The American Creed: A Spiritual and Patriotic Primer", 2002 (ISBN 0-312-30344-0)
- So Help Me God: The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle Over Church and State, 2007 (ISBN 978-0151011858)
- Freedom From Fear: Finding the Courage to Act, Love and Be (ISBN 0-312-32534-7)
- Love & Death, Beacon PressBeacon PressBeacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
, 2008 (ISBN 0807072931)
Books edited by Church:
- Restoring Faith: America's Religious Leaders Answer Terror with Hope, Walker & Company, 2001 (ISBN 978-0802776327)
- The Separation of Church and State: Writings on a Fundamental Freedom by America's Founders, Beacon PressBeacon PressBeacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
, 2004 (ISBN 9780807077221)
Television appearance
Church can be seen offering commentary in the History Channel documentary Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas.External links
- ForrestChurch.com
- "For the Victims of the Day of Terror", sermon by Forrester Church. All Souls Unitarian Church, New York City, September 12, 2001.
- http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200710/20071025.html Interview on the Tavis SmileyTavis SmileyTavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
talk show on PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
]. - Love and Death Facing cancer with lessons learned from my parishioners, By Forrest Church in UU World magazine
- New York Times obituary
- Obituary at Unitarian Universalist Association site
- Video: Love and Death: My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow